Suffolk stalls Ronkonkoma development plan

Daily Point

End of the runway for Midway Crossing?

Suffolk County has stopped in its tracks the Midway Crossing plan to develop land south of the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station — at least for now. The Point has obtained a sweeping letter to Jones Lang LaSalle, the real estate broker that spearheaded the proposal, that officially informed the firm that the county had canceled the request for qualifications process and terminated JLL’s "conditional designation as the master developer of the County Land."

"After seven years of JLL’s exclusive involvement, there remains no demonstrable project readiness which would best position the Midway Crossing Project to receive all available federal, state and other grants and/or subsidies," wrote Suffolk County Attorney Christopher J. Clayton in a letter dated last Friday.

Midway Crossing has been a long-awaited effort to build a convention center, hotel and life sciences complex in Ronkonkoma, a project that also has been connected to efforts to move Long Island MacArthur Airport’s terminal to the north, so it can better link to the LIRR. Jones Lang LaSalle was named master developer of Midway Crossing in 2018 and officially designated by the Suffolk County Legislature in September 2022.

In his letter, Clayton pointed to "potential changes" in the long-stalled plans to move the airport terminal. Just last month, the Islip Town board rejected an effort to put forward a request for qualifications regarding the move.

The situation, Clayton wrote, "has given the County and the Town pause with respect to the development of definitive plans for the Midway Crossing Project."

But the bulk of Clayton’s letter focused on "critical issues" he said JLL had not addressed, including establishing a "complete development team" and a "viable financing plan."

But Jones Lang LaSalle is pushing back, saying the county, town and state need to do more.

In a statement, Derek Trulson, the firm’s lead person for Midway Crossing, said the company "has fulfilled, and will continue to fulfill" its obligations related to the project, including finding private partners and financing. Trulson focused on the need for the "public sector" to "successfully leverage bonding capacity and to identify, pursue and secure grants for project infrastructure."

"Now is the time to do that," Trulson said. "JLL remains fully committed to making Midway Crossing a reality for the people of Suffolk County and to supporting the Town’s vision to improve the MacArthur Airport, bringing more jobs and vital economic development to the region."

As recently as last Friday, at the Long Island Association’s annual State of the Region breakfast, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine talked about prioritizing plans for Midway Crossing and MacArthur Airport.

Nonetheless, the letter did not come as a complete surprise to many observers who’ve been watching Midway Crossing for years. Several sources pointed to the lack of progress and the lack of communication and public outreach from Jones Lang LaSalle. They also noted there have been multiple efforts to secure funding for infrastructure and other needs from New York State, but those have yet to come to fruition, in part because JLL had not addressed all of the outstanding issues.

"I was frustrated by the fact that we were just going on and on and not getting anywhere. We designated them over two years ago and we really are no closer today than we were two years ago," Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey told The Point. "I’m not disappointed that the county executive sent that letter out."

Local officials said they hoped to move forward quickly on a new strategy for the property.

"Today Suffolk County took steps to reimagine the Midway project, paving the way for new ideas and strategies to benefit the surrounding communities, improve infrastructure, and create a powerful economic engine for our County," Romaine spokesman Michael Martino told The Point. "In the coming months, the county will seek expressions of interest from interested parties to ensure this historic project will become a reality."

Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter said she expects to work with Romaine on the project’s future.

"Developing something like this in Suffolk County that would be transformational for the region is a good thing and we want to make sure it moves forward," Carpenter said.

Sources told the Point that the Local Development Corporation for the property, a group formed two years ago to help oversee the development, hopes to meet soon to discuss next steps.

McCaffrey, who is term-limited at the end of this year, said he hopes to meet with Romaine to move the effort forward. McCaffrey told The Point that the county had about $20 million in its standing infrastructure fund at the end of 2024, a product of the 2023 increase in the county’s hotel/motel tax. He expects an additional $14 million per year to flow into the fund, which was in part earmarked for Midway Crossing’s convention center.

"Let’s figure out what comes next," McCaffrey said. "My legislative clock is ticking."

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Our own gulf 

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Final Point

Blakeman's face-to-face with Facebook founder

New York State Republicans made their way to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration Monday in Washington. Although most of the GOP Long Islanders on hand viewed the ceremony from the Capitol Rotunda’s "overflow" area, there was a bit of elite hobnobbing to be had afterward.

One photo showed a tuxedoed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman chatting with Meta Platforms chief executive and controlling shareholder Mark Zuckerberg. Blakeman spokesman Chris Boyle told The Point that the photo was snapped at the reception after the swearing-in.

"Bruce exchanged pleasantries with Mark Zuckerberg and let him know that Nassau County is open for business," Boyle texted.

The photo was posted on X — the forum owned by Elon Musk — by Spectrum One correspondent Bernadette Hogan, who wrote that it came "via source."

As paparazzi photos go, the Blakeman pic was unlikely to draw the number of clicks or amount of hoopla as earlier, viral images of Zuckerberg apparently getting an eyeful of Lauren Sanchez, seated next to him. She is engaged to Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.

She wore an outfit with a tight-fitting white blazer over what gossip sites called a "lingerie-inspired bustier."

Last week, a photo of Blakeman dining with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and lawyer Howard Fensterman in Manhasset drew attention. The pair seem to be traveling in the same circles these days — Adams on Monday surprised constituents by attending Trump’s inaugural rather than Martin Luther King Day events back home.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

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